I don't think any team in league history was as good......they were 8 deep with absolutely no weakness.....shooting, rebounding, passing, playing great "D".....no flaw in their game...league MVP and the Sixth Man of the Year....multiple all stars....crushed the Lakers in both meetings...

This team is nowhere near as good. The core of our stars was Bird 29years old, Mchale 28, Parish 32, DJ 32, and Ainge 27. Even Walton was only thirty three. We are deep and good though even though we are light in the rebounding department.

The Celtics have now beaten the Lakers in The Forem and in the Boston Garden, in transition and in half court, from the outside and from the inside, with their superstars and with their scrubs, in sickness and in health. It now behooves the defending NBA champions to return to their drawing board and their video library and devise a way to whip these guys in green-but it is not immediately apparent how that can be done.

"No doubt, there is no question that Boston is the better team" (Magic Johnson)

the article goes on about how the Lakers had vengeance as a motive at home while the Celtics had McHale on the bench with an injury.......the Lakers absolutely had to even this series (Boston won the opener at home 110-95).....alas it was not to be.....Boston won in LA 105-99 (vs a Laker team that would lead the league with an average of over 117 ppg)........and on and on it goes....

as I said, Walton dominated Kareem as the Celtics dominated the Lakers (and the league).....

this '86 squad was Boston's best ever....and probably the best team in league history....

but those Bulls didn't face the competition the Celtics did.....the '86 Celts would've beaton all of MJ's Bulls' teams....and it wouldn't have been close....the Bulls rose to the top once the Celtics, Lakers, and Pistons fell off...MJ's teams got schooled by Bird's teams....every year!

We have to give credit where credit is due. Winning 72 games and a championship in one season, the record speaks for itself.

The competition in 96 was not close to 86. Philly, Detroit, Los Angeles, the Knicks,and even the rising Bulls were so far beyond what the league was in 96 it is not funny. Morph the 86 Celtics or even Lakers from that period someone of them would have one 72 games against that weakened league in that time. The Bulls would not match up against those teams the league was much tougher in 1986. Good point about the Celtics of 2012 being closer to the 87 Lakers though.

The 1986 Celtics are easily one of the top 3 teams of all time. It's been said Bird would play entire games shooting only with his left hand just for fun. The following year Walton was injured as was Bird and McHale though they played through the injuries in the playoffs. Had they been healthy they 2-peat. And lets not forget Len Bias who was drafted in 1986. What a team that would have been.

the '87 Celtic squad was devasted by injuries.....and still took the series to six games....Magic's baby hook shot and Bird's "just miss" at the buzzer were the differences.....imagine a healthy Bird, McHale, Parish, Walton, and Wedman......then just imagine Bias being in the mix....Boston repeats with ease...and Bird & McHale don't play as many minutes going forward....things probably would've been quite different...but, then again, that's why they play the games....

Opinions have been expressed by members of this board as to whether the 86 Celts or 96 Bulls were the better team. I'm always very interested in discussions concerning generational comparisons of teams. Perhaps those of you that have expressed an opinion on this matter could tell me the reasoning that shaped your opinions.

Opinions have been expressed by members of this board as to whether the 86 Celts or 96 Bulls were the better team. I'm always very interested in disscussions concerning generational comparisons of teams. Perhaps those of you that have expressed an opinion on this matter could tell me the reasoning that shaped your opinions.

seems

The 1996 Bulls won 72 games in the regular season en route to a championship.

MJ is also considered the greatest NBA player of all-time.

Come on, a team that only losses, on average, once a month for 6 months?

And it's not like the core of that 1996 Bulls team didn't win 3-peat.

Thanks Fiercest34. I hope others reply. Im always more interested in opinions when people offer some reasoning to back up their opinions